"Kujaku" •RWBY•

七

Suzume has never been more fascinated by life than when she left Tancho Village. The atmosphere sparkled under the shade of the green trees. The few bits of light that peeked through the leaves allowed for a path of brown roots to grow. Long, yellow weeds tickle the bridge of Suzume's feet, and it causes her to giggle softly at the texture.

She naturally spins in place as she continues walking. There's so much to admire, and it's almost overwhelming.

"Take a right here," Michael instructs, and Suzume immediately follows. She rounds the corner only to come face-to-face with a dirt wall.

Pursing her lips, the mantis-eyed girl cranes her neck back to assess the hill, "What do we do now?" She inquires as she begins inspecting the area, looking for another way up.

"Climb." Michael bluntly replies, making Suzume guffaw. She puckers her lips before letting out an exasperated sigh. 

Stepping forward, Suzume latches onto the wall with her right hand and uses her adjacent foot to step onto an edge piece. She begins to fall into a rhythm of grabbing onto strong rocks and pushing herself up to gain more distance. It may have been improper climbing etiquette, but to be fair, she has zero experience in this field. 

It takes a bit, but Suzume huffs as she heaves herself over the corner of the cliff. Laying on her back, she pumps her fist into the air victoriously, "Finally--!"

"Shush!" Michael grits out through his teeth, making his host jump up in alarm. She ducks back to the ground as she notices the creature a few feet away from her.

Suzume rolls onto her stomach to observe the large Grimm closer. It has black fur on its body and feathers on its front legs. Large bird wings loom over the forest as its talons dig into the dirt, and its tail lays limp on the ground. A white bone-like spine lines its back, including more bones on the radius of its wings. Its head represents that of a bird with a skull replacing its facial features. Last but certainly not least, four piercing red eyes stare out into the vast lands of Sanus, searching for their next prey.

"A Griffon," Suzume whispers to herself as she grips the land under her, unconsciously ripping blades of grass from the dirt. 

The Grimm arches its back and steps near the edge of the cliff. It raises its wings and gets ready to take off into the sky.

"Go, go, go!" Michael urges, and the blue-haired girl bites her bottom lip with slight hesitance. The Griffon flaps its wings, beginning to hover off the ground, "Go, Ana!" the god yells as the creature gets further from the Earth's crust.

Suzume groans internally as she pushes herself up and takes off after the Griffon. Her geta digs into the dirt causing her to nearly slip, but as she touches the edge of the cliff and the Grimm starts soaring, she leaps into the air. The world doesn't slow down like in the adventure books Suzume read as a child, instead, the wind whips past her ears loudly, and she reaches out to grab the Griffin's tail.

The Grimm instantly responds by screeching out in alarm. Suzume covers her left ear with her shoulder as she grips the creatures' tail with both hands. The Griffin finally notices the small human and begins flying wildly, trying to shake her off. The bluenette's weight drags part of the Griffin down, but it has Suzume hanging, leaving more room for her to be swung around.

 "How is this a plan!?" Suzume hollers as she's dragged into the sky.

Michael's obnoxious laugh reverberates through his host's head, "If it helps get us to the exams on time, who cares!?"

"I do, Michael!" The mantis-eyed girl screams as she clings to the Griffon's tail.

Michael rolls his head back in mild annoyance, "Oh my Oum," he grunts before switching places with Suzume. He crosses their right leg over their left and crunches their body. Sliding their legs up, he lets go to grip higher on the Grimm's tail. Michael makes it to the creature's torso by carefully shuffling their body upward. Unholstering a sensu, he stuffs it in their mouth as he begins grabbing the Griffin's protruding spine and climbing further up its body.